Improvement in hot-water heating apparatus



} panyin g drawings, in which- NITED STATES PATENT CFFIGEL.

JAMES D. WILLOUGHBY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HOT-WATER HEATING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 209,742, dated November5, 1878; application filed December 3, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. WILLOUGHBY, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invent-ed a new and usefulImprovement in Hot-Water Heating Apparatus, which improvement is fullyset forth in the following specification and accom- Figure l is asideelevation, partly sectional, of the apparatus embodying my invention.-Fig. 2 is a view of a detached part, modified.

Heretofore the circulation of hot water in heaters has been obtained bygravity and convection, or the difference in the weight of waterconsequent upon the difference in the amount of heat that mm the water.This circulating force, if force it may be called, is not sufficient toproduce satisfactory results, except under the most favorablecircumstances, and when all parts of the heater are constructed andarranged to favor circulation, and they are kept in good working order.

My invention relates to means for obtaining sufficient force to compelthe water to circulate through all parts of the heater, and to returnagain into the boiler, where it is reheated and forced, as before,through pipes'and radiators, as desired, substantially as hereinaftermore fully described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a boiler, which maybe of'cylindrical or other form, and of any desired construction. The boileris placed in the cellar, but may be placed in any other convenientplace.- The boiler may have a separate hot-water chamber connected withit, which, in most cases, will be required if a number of pipes are usedas a boiler to receive the heat from the fire, and convey the hot waterand steam to the hotwater chamber. This chamber may also be in contactwith the fire or, if circumstances require, it may be in a positionwhere the heat of the fire does not come in contact with it. The mainobject of the chamber is space or water-room.

B represents a reservoir or receptacle for hot water and steam, which isplaced in one of the highest rooms. I have shown it in the drawing asbeing box-like in form; but any form may be used, the object being tohave space into which hot water and steam from the boiler may enter,there being so much space in the reservoir that the upper part of itwill always be cool enough to condense the steam that enters it.

0 represents an outlet-pipe. The lower end of it enters the boiler, andthe upper end enters the reservoir. In its lower end is a valve,

a, within the boiler. This valve may be of the top of the pipe 0 in thereservoir there is a valve, b, the object being to prevent water fromthe reservoir returning back into the pipe after the water has beenblown out of it by steam from the boiler. The return of water into thatpipe in most cases is not desired; but it will not prevent the action ofthe heater. In many cases it will be desirable to extend the upper endof the pipe 0 higher up in the reservoir than the water will ever bepermitted to rise, when the valve can be dispensed with, and the tube Gwill remain comparatively free from water above the valve a, except asit is filled with water rising from the boiler.

D represents a pipe, the upper end of which enters at or near the bottomof the reservoir.

.This pipe is made to pass through all the apartment to be heated, andat its lower end enters into the boiler, and has a valve, (1, soarranged that the pressure of steam in the boiler tends to hold itclosed or shut, and not to open it, as is the tendency upon the valve ain the pipe C. This valve d, as well as the other, may be of any desiredform or construction, and may be in the pipe in the inside of theboiler, as shown, or in any suitable place in the pipe,or connected withthe pipe outside of the boiler, so arranged that when the column ofwater in the pipe D is heavier than the pressure in the boiler the valvewill open and permit the water to pass into the boiler.

E represents radiators, which are receptacles for hot water, and may bebox-like, as I have shown, or of any desired form or construction, orany suitable arrangement of pipes, and are 'an unthrottledwater-passage.

placed in the apartments to be heated, and are connected by two pipes orother suitable connection with the main return-pipe D.

In the main pipe D is a cock, 0, and also cocks ff in the pipes thatconnect the radiator with the main pipe. The object of this connectionand of these cocks is to be able to compel the hot-water to pass, or notto pass, through the radiators, as may be desired, or to compel just asmuch as may be desired to heat the room to pass through that radiator,the rest passing on through the main pipe I) to the next room. Thesecocks can be moved by the skillful operator so as to regulate the flowof water as desired, and at the same time avoid throttling thewater-passage but to prevent error, especially by unskillful hands, Ihave connected the three cocks by rods 9 g 9, so that as the cock in themain pipe D is closed the others will be opened, or when the others areclosed the one in the main pipe will be opened correspondingly, and thuspreserve The connection that moves all three of the cocks at the sametime may also be, by toothed wheels, arranged to mesh into each other,or by a rack and pinions, or by any known means of producingsimultaneous motion in them.

B represents a safety-valve, that ppens and discharges the steam fromthe reservoir in case the temperature of the reservoir does not condenseit, and any undue pressure in the reservoir is avoided.

F represents an airchamber, connected with the boiler, so to avoid a jaror concussion when the boiler suddenly fills with water after eachpulsation. This is only required where the boiler fills very suddenly. Ihave shown but one outlet and one inlet pipe which enter the boiler,although others might be used to lead to separate apartments, or toother buildings to which it is not convenient to make the return-pipe Dpass or extend.

These additional pipes may enter the boiler and be provided with valves,as the others, or they may unite with the other pipes at some pointabove the valves in the others, and can have a separate reservoir, intowhich the outlet-pipe discharges its waters. The relative amount ofwater which is made to pass through this auxiliary pipe from the mainpipe 0 into its own reservoir can be determined by the use of a cock ineach pipe, so that the size of the passage in each pipe can be regulatedat will.

I have shown the outlet-pipe as running directly to the reservoir, whereit discharges the water from the boiler. The outlet-pipe can be made totraverse the different apartments, and have the radiators connected withit instead of with the return-pipe. In that event the return-pipe canpass in the most direct way from the reservoir to the boiler, as theoutletpipe now does, and the water will have to pass through theradiators on its way to the reservoir; but the plan shown is preferred.

The distance of the mouth of the outletpipe below the top of the boilerdetermines the amount of water which shall be thrown from the boiler ateach pulsation. The end of this pipe within the boiler may have onit anelbow, or any adjustable device that can be turned or moved, so as toraise or lower it, thereby bringing the mouth of the pipe nearer to orfarther from the top of the boiler, which will cause an increase ordecrease in the amount of water thrown at each pulsation. If much wateris thrown at each pulsation, the required heat will be obtained with aless number of pulsations in a given time.

To prepare the heater for operation, it is filled with water until thebottom of the reservoir is covered, and, if the valve I) is employed, itis advisable that it is also covered with water. This filling is easilyaccomplished by introducing the water into the reservoir B,

from which it will find itsway into the boiler and radiators. The air,or as much of it as is desired, can be let out of the boiler andradiators by means of the pet-cocks. The top of the reservoir is closed;but it has a safetyvalve in it, which will open by a light pressure ofsteam in the reservoir, should such pressure ever occur, and thus avoidany dangerous pressure of steam in the reservoir.

When steam is generated in the boiler it rises to the top or upper sideof the boiler, and by its pressure forces the water into the mouth ofthe pipe (3, which is below the surface of the water, and up through thevalve or valves to, which are in the pipe or suitably connected to it,and is discharged into the reservoir B. When the steam in the boilerreaches the mouth of the pipe C it will pass suddenly into the reservoirB, and comparatively free the boiler and under side of the valves a frompressure. The valves or will then close, and the valve cl in theinlet-pipe D, which was held closed by its own weight and the pressureof steam in the boiler, will now be opened by the weight of water in theinlet'pipe D. When the water from this pipe D enters the boiler itscomparative coldness condenses the vapor or steam that may be in theboiler, thereby producing a vacuum, which joins its force with theweight of water in the inlet-pipe and in the radiators to force thewater into the boiler until it is again full, and when reheated untilsteam is formed, as before, the water will again be forced in thereservoir or into the upper I part of the pipes or devices used toanswer as a reservoir or receptacle for the hot water forced up.

If the return-water is made to enter the boiler above the waterlevel,its immediate contact with the vapor or steam will produce rapidcondensation, and consequently a vacu um will be more quickly and fullyformed than if this water entered the boiler below the water eve Thepresence of air in a radiator of box form, as I have shown, or if formedso as not to permit the water to carry the air out of the radb ator,does not prevent the action of the heating device; but I prefer in mostcases to exclude all the air, or nearly all, from the radiators. Yet insome cases it may be desirable to permit air to be' in such of theradiators that have a heating capacity greater than is required, as theair prevents them from being fully filled with hot water; and in somecases the presence of air in the radiators or pipes, or other suitablereceptacle, may be desirable, to prevent any jar or concussion arisingfrom the sudden stoppage of motion in the water when the boiler hassuddenly become full of water. To prevent a jar in the boiler, anair-chamber, F, is connected with the boiler below the waterlevel, sothat the air will not leave the chamher.

When the cock 0 in the main return-pipe D is opened, and the cocks f fin the pipes that enter the radiator or coil-pipe are closed, the hotwater will pass the radiator or coil-pipe, and not enter them; and ifthe positions of the cocks are reversed, the water will have to passthrough the radiator; or, if the three cocks are partially opened, thewater will be divided in its passage, some entering the radiator, therest will pass on through the main pipe, according to the position ofthe cooks, thereby regulating the amount of hot water that enters theradiator at each pulsation, and consequently the amount of heat radiatedby that radiator.

The gearing rods, racks, and pinions, (shown at e f,) or theirequivalents, are attached to the cooks, so that if the cock in the mainpipe is partially or fully closed, the other two cocks will be partiallyor fully opened, thusinsuring an unthrottled passage for the water,which would often be throttled if no such connection existed, especiallyif moved by inexperienced persons. In some cases I use the cocks withoutbeing connected.

I am aware that it is not new to raise water into an upper tank in abuilding by means of steam-pressure and that in some instances a smalladditional pipe has been arranged be tween such tank and the mainwater-supply chamber, so that when the latter becomes emptied of itswater and filled with steam,

* which has been generated in a water-back,

certain valves will be opened and a small stream of water will flow fromthe tank into the chamber, for the purpose of condensing the steamtherein and creating a vacuum, whereby a fresh supply of water will beforced by external pressure into the said chamber, all substantially asfound in Patents No. 101,334 and No. 141,249. But in these instances theinvention relates to means for supplying tlie open tanks with water,which is to be conveyed by ordinary pipes to different places in thebuilding for consumption. No provision is made for heating the rooms norfor heating the water sufficiently to render it available as aheating-agent.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is Iv 1. In a hot-water heating apparatus for buildings, the 'boiler A, fromwhich, the supply of hot'water is automaticallyforced by the expansionof steam generated therein, and the closed reservoir B, for receivingthe water from the boiler, in combination with a pipe leading directlyfrom the boiler to the reservoir, and provided with a valve, whereby thebination with the pipes G D, and boiler A,

and reservoir 13, connected by said pipes, substantially as set forth,the whole making a complete circuit, in which all the water willcirculate, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES D. WILLOUGHBY.

Witnesses JOHN A. WIEDERsHEIM, H. E. HINDMARSH.

